Duke Law is latest target of Trump challenges to admissions policies

Key Points:

• The Justice Department accused Duke University’s law school of unlawfully considering race in admissions by using factors like personal essays and first-generation college status as proxies for race, violating the 2023 Supreme Court ruling banning affirmative action.
• Duke Law School stated it is reviewing the DOJ’s findings and emphasized its commitment to lawful admissions practices aligned with its academic mission.
• The DOJ highlighted disparities showing Black or Hispanic applicants were more likely to be admitted than white or Asian applicants with similar credentials, with rejected white and Asian applicants having higher median LSAT scores than admitted Black applicants in recent years.
• This action follows similar DOJ findings against Yale and UCLA medical schools and ongoing investigations into other institutions, reflecting the Trump administration’s broader efforts to enforce the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling.
• The DOJ is currently seeking a settlement with Duke Law to resolve the allegations of race-based discrimination in admissions.